Dietary choline and betaine intake in relation to psychological disorders in adults

Introduction: Mental disorders are one the leading causes of disability worldwide. The role of dietary intakes in the prevalence of mental disorders have gained great interest. Limited information is available regarding dietary choline and betaine intake in relation to psychological disorders. Therefore, we investigated the association of choline and betaine intake with psychological disorders (depression, anxiety, psychological distress) in Iranian adults.Methods and Materials: In this cross-sectional study, dietary intakes of ۳۲۹۹ adults were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Participants were categorized based on quartiles of choline and betaine intake, that were adjusted for energy intake. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), validated for Iranians, have been applied to assess depression, anxiety, and psychological distress.Results: Participants had a mean age of ۳۶.۳±۷.۹ years, of whom ۵۸.۵% were women. After considering potential confounders, adults in the top quartile of choline intake, compared to the bottom one, had decreased odds of anxiety (OR: ۰.۴۹, ۹۵%CI: ۰.۳۴–۰.۷۱) and psychological distress (OR: ۰.۶۲, ۹۵%CI: ۰.۴۶–۰.۸۳). However, no significant association was observed between choline intake and chance of depression (OR: ۰.۸۳, ۹۵%CI: ۰.۶۳–۱.۰۹). Furthermore, there was not any significant association between the last quartile of betaine intake and odds of anxiety (OR: ۱.۱۹, ۹۵%CI: ۰.۷۵–۱.۸۹), depression (OR: ۱.۱۰, ۹۵%CI: ۰.۷۸–۱.۵۵) and psychological distress (OR: ۰.۸۸, ۹۵%CI: ۰.۶۱–۱.۲۸) compared to the first quartile.Conclusion: We found choline intake to be inversely related to anxiety and psychological distress. However, dietary betaine intake was not significantly related to mental disorders. Further prospective studies are required to affirm our findings.

Keywords:

Choline , Betaine , Depression , Anxiety , psychological distress